The Finnish melodic death metal band Slow Fall released its third full-length album, ‘Blood Eclipse,’ on May 16, 2025, via Berlin-based label Out of Line Music. The announcement reaffirms the Oulu-based ensemble’s position within the Nordic metal circuit, arriving in a summer release cycle marked by a heightened concentration of genre-specific output from Finnish and broader European acts. ‘Blood Eclipse’ follows 2023’s ‘Obsidian Waves’ and their 2020 debut ‘Beneath the Endless Rains,’ extending the band’s partnership with Out of Line, a label traditionally rooted in dark electronic music but increasingly active in supporting melodic and extreme metal projects. While the album is available through the label’s official store and other platforms, it had not yet appeared on the band’s Bandcamp page as of early June 2025.

In support of the album, the band issued a music video for the track ‘Mercury Moon’ on May 24, 2025—eight days after the release of ‘Blood Eclipse.’ Directed by Finnish filmmaker Petri Inkinen, the video centers on subdued studio performance footage with controlled lighting and minimal post-production, aligning with the track’s restrained sonic and visual tone. Disseminated through the band’s official platforms and Out of Line’s digital channels, the video complements the album’s broader visual and compositional structure rather than introducing new narrative material.

Positioned as the group’s most fully developed statement to date, ‘Blood Eclipse’ engages with themes of internal collapse and mythic desolation, while its release through Out of Line signals both continuity and institutional backing in a label catalogue that now includes a growing number of Finnish metal acts. The album’s rollout coincides with a period of intensified visibility for melodic death metal from Northern Europe, reintroducing Slow Fall into a field increasingly shaped by aesthetic cohesion and cross-border label strategies.

Slow Fall: Formation, Background, and Artistic Direction

Formed in 2016 in Oulu, a city located along Finland’s northern coastline, Slow Fall emerged within a regional scene historically associated with melodic and doom-inflected metal traditions. From its inception, the band aligned itself with the melancholic lineage characteristic of Finnish metal but adopted a structure that allowed for a more expansive integration of melodic death metal, gothic atmosphere, and restrained post-metal elements. Their early EP ‘The First Ones to Fall’ (2017) established the foundational tonal palette—one defined by deliberate pacing, layered guitar textures, and themes orbiting loss, decay, and emotional estrangement.

The group’s lineup has remained relatively stable across its recorded history. Composed of six members, Slow Fall maintains a dual-guitar dynamic that supports its harmonic layering, while clean and harsh vocals alternate in service of contrast rather than accessibility. While the band has rarely commented on its lyrical methodology in public statements, its material is structured around existential motifs and natural imagery, drawing less from overt narrative arcs than from a cumulative mood of withdrawal and disintegration.

Slow Fall’s approach stands in contrast to the more technically elaborate or theatrically inclined strains of melodic death metal. Rather than foregrounding virtuosity or adopting hybrid genre fusions, the band has cultivated a style that privileges cohesion over contrast. This has positioned them as both participants in and outliers from the broader Gothenburg-influenced scene. Their focus on elongated phrasing, mid-tempo structures, and atmospheric restraint situates them closer to Finnish acts like Insomnium or early Swallow the Sun, though without direct stylistic mimicry.

Following the release of ‘Beneath the Endless Rains’ in 2020 through Out of Line Music, Slow Fall began to cultivate a more defined public presence. The album received moderate attention from genre-specific media, noting its emphasis on tonal consistency and its refusal to conform to either classic revivalism or trend-oriented production. With ‘Obsidian Waves’ in 2023, the band extended its compositional structures and production fidelity, aligning more directly with Out of Line’s evolving roster of atmospheric and doom-adjacent artists. That album served as a transitional point—both refining their sonic identity and consolidating their place in a network of independent European acts engaged in sustained thematic and stylistic articulation.

The New Album ‘Blood Eclipse’

‘Blood Eclipse’ was recorded at Deep Noise Studios in Kemi, a facility known within Finland’s northern regions for its work with extreme and atmospheric metal acts. The sessions were overseen by Tuomas Saukkonen, a figure well-established through his projects Wolfheart and Before the Dawn. His role as producer on the album reflects a continuity of tone and production aesthetics: a commitment to clarity, depth, and texture without resorting to compression-heavy maximalism. This collaboration marks the first time Slow Fall has worked with Saukkonen in a full producer capacity, though both artist and producer share overlapping sensibilities rooted in Finland’s melancholic metal canon.

Engineering and mixing duties were handled by Juho Räihä, whose previous credits include work with Swallow the Sun and Gloria Morti. His involvement introduces a level of technical refinement that differs from the rawer atmospheres of the band’s earlier material. While the recording process retained the layered guitar work and dual vocal structure foundational to Slow Fall’s sound, it also introduced a greater emphasis on spatial arrangement—evident in the separation between rhythm and lead passages, as well as in the deliberate use of silence and decay within the album’s slower segments.

Mastering was completed by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers in Helsinki, a mastering engineer whose portfolio includes acts ranging from Rammstein to Amorphis. Forsbäck’s contribution ensured a sonic consistency across physical and digital formats, with dynamics tailored to the extended run times and tonal shifts typical of the genre. Notably, the album avoids the loudness standard typical of post-2010 metal releases, opting instead for dynamic contrast and mid-frequency balance—features increasingly valued by audiophile and collector audiences.

The recording process spanned late 2024 into early 2025, with sessions intentionally segmented to accommodate winter conditions and allow iterative composition between takes. While not publicly addressed in press materials, the band’s decision to delay final tracking until early February 2025 is understood to have been based on adjustments made to track sequencing and harmonic transitions between songs. These changes contributed to a final tracklist structured more around cumulative tonal development than discrete single identity.

Out of Line Music has indicated that the album will be distributed in Digipak CD format, standard and marbled vinyl variants, and digital streaming platforms, with select physical bundles including embroidered patches and lyric booklets. No deluxe edition or expanded box set has been confirmed as of early June 2025, reflecting the label’s preference for targeted rather than saturated physical releases.

Album Structure and Harmonic Design

Slow Fall’s ‘Blood Eclipse’ presents a ten-track collection shaped by gradual build-up, melodic layering, and an emphasis on tonal cohesion over stylistic deviation. Running just over forty-five minutes, the album maintains a consistent mid-tempo pace while integrating subdued aggression and atmospheric weight—a continuation of the band’s approach in ‘Obsidian Waves’ (2023), yet rendered here with greater structural clarity and compositional focus.

The record opens with ‘Storm Never Rests,’ an introductory track that immediately outlines the album’s aesthetic framework: slow-rising guitar harmonies, dual vocal interplay, and compressed rhythmic density. From there, tracks such as ‘God of Oblivion’ and ‘Mercury Moon’ reinforce the band’s alignment with Finnish melodic death metal traditions—favoring minor key melodies and layered textures over abrupt tempo shifts or lead guitar exhibitionism.

‘On This Hill I Will Die’ and ‘Colossus’ expand the album’s scale, drawing from post-metal pacing and doom-adjacent structures. These tracks eschew conventional song arcs in favor of slow progression and thematic repetition. The result is not static, but meditative: each composition unfolds gradually, revealing variations in tonality rather than contrast in rhythm or form.

The instrumental ‘Virta’ functions as an ambient interlude, offering a pause before the album’s final movement. This transitional track highlights the record’s careful sequencing, where pacing and silence are treated as compositional tools equal to instrumentation. The final trio—‘Supernova’, ‘Vendetta’, and ‘Vale Omnes (Kaikki Kuolee)’—moves toward a more forceful articulation of the album’s central themes: dissolution, grief, and metaphysical isolation. Clean vocals emerge more frequently across these closing tracks, but they remain subordinate to the album’s primary voice: slow, mournful, and tonally submerged.

Vocals alternate between growled and clean deliveries, with the former dominant and treated more as texture than narrative focal point. Clean passages, when they appear—as in ‘Blood Eclipse’ or ‘Vale Omnes’—serve to underscore emotional distance rather than offer reprieve. There is no romanticism in their inclusion; instead, they are woven into the mix, low and reverberant, reinforcing the sense of collapse embedded in the lyrical and musical motifs.

Drums emphasize consistency, resisting technical embellishment in favor of reinforcing guitar patterns and anchoring transitions between sections. Basslines remain largely embedded within the guitar structure, surfacing most clearly in ambient passages or during vocal rests. Across the album, the band avoids overproduction, preserving a sense of physical presence in the instruments—a choice reinforced by the mastering process, which retains dynamic range and favors low-mid frequencies.

Lyrically speaking, the album moves within a symbolic field of natural disaster, loss, and metaphysical uncertainty. Song titles such as ‘Supernova,’ ‘Vendetta,’ and ‘Vale Omnes (Kaikki Kuolee)’ evoke both cosmic destruction and intimate finality. The lyrics themselves, largely unintelligible in delivery and not formally published, remain intentionally opaque, inviting listeners to experience the album through repetition, atmosphere, and resonance rather than textual interpretation.

Taken as a whole, ‘Blood Eclipse’ operates not as a collection of distinct statements, but as a single extended tone—marked by restraint, continuity, and refusal to resolve. It neither broadens the band’s palette nor contracts it, but instead confirms Slow Fall’s interest in refining a singular sonic identity within the increasingly hybridized terrain of contemporary Finnish metal.

‘Mercury Moon’: Video Single and Visual Presentation

Released in conjunction with the announcement of ‘Blood Eclipse,’ the official video for ‘Mercury Moon’ adopts a visually subdued, performance-focused structure. Filmed in a controlled indoor setting, the video centers on the band’s full-lineup performance, illuminated by stark, low-key lighting and interspersed with slow camera movements. Unlike nature-based or abstract conceptual formats common in parts of the Finnish metal tradition, ‘Mercury Moon’ opts for a direct studio visual, where light and shadow dictate the emotional pacing.

The stage design features minimal background intrusion—amplifiers, mic stands, and subdued lighting are used sparingly. Tones are cool and desaturated, with the dominant color palette comprised of muted blues and greys. Band members are captured in isolated light pools, emphasizing individual focus without relying on post-production overlays or effects. The framing often lingers on single performers, alternating between medium close-ups and wider ensemble angles. Camera motion remains smooth, utilizing slow pans and gradual zooms that enhance the atmosphere without overpowering the musical content.

Throughout its six-minute runtime, the video refrains from introducing narrative or allegorical elements. There is no external symbolism or intercut storyline. Instead, the piece foregrounds musicianship—placing emphasis on synchronized playing, expressionless concentration, and visual restraint. The absence of external imagery places interpretive responsibility on the viewer, allowing the musical tone—deliberate, mournful, and expansive—to determine meaning.

Functionally, the video reinforces the tonal qualities introduced across Slow Fall’s discography. It reflects the band’s aesthetic decision to remain grounded in sobriety and minimalism, extending the themes of internal collapse and emotional inertia rather than resolving them. As part of the broader release strategy, ‘Mercury Moon’ serves not as a commercial preview, but as a formal introduction to the album’s restrained visual and sonic language.

Performance Schedule Supporting the New Album

In support of their third studio album, Slow Fall has scheduled a series of live performances across Europe. The tour commenced with a hometown show in Oulu, Finland, on May 16, 2025, providing an intimate setting for the band to debut material from their latest release. This initial performance set the tone for subsequent dates, emphasizing the band’s commitment to delivering emotionally resonant live renditions of their studio work.

Following the Oulu concert, Slow Fall is slated to perform in various European cities, including Torgau and Laberweinting in Germany, Lille and Paris in France, and Sereď in Slovakia. These venues have been selected to align with the band’s atmospheric and introspective musical style, offering audiences an immersive experience that reflects the themes explored in ‘Blood Eclipse.’ The tour’s itinerary highlights Slow Fall’s dedication to engaging with their European fanbase and solidifying their presence within the melodic death metal scene.

The band’s live performances are anticipated to showcase the nuanced compositions and thematic depth characteristic of ‘Blood Eclipse.’ By translating their studio recordings into dynamic live sets, Slow Fall aims to provide audiences with a comprehensive understanding of their artistic vision. The tour not only serves as a platform for promoting their latest album but also reinforces the band’s commitment to delivering authentic and emotionally impactful performances.

Position Within Finland’s Contemporary Metal Field

Slow Fall occupies a distinct, if understated, position within Finland’s increasingly multifaceted metal output. While bands such as Insomnium, Swallow the Sun, and Wolfheart have achieved international visibility by blending melodic death metal with doom and post-metal elements, Slow Fall remains closer to the form’s structural foundations—tempering melody with restraint and eschewing cinematic or orchestral excess. Their sound favors emotional austerity and textural consistency over experimentation, and their releases exhibit a deliberate resistance to genre hybridization.

This measured approach places Slow Fall in alignment with a tradition of Finnish metal that prioritizes melancholic atmosphere and lyrical ambiguity over theatricality. The band’s decision to release three full-length albums within five years—‘Beneath the Endless Rains’ (2020), ‘Obsidian Waves’ (2023), and now ‘Blood Eclipse’—demonstrates a consistent artistic rhythm not often sustained among mid-level Finnish acts operating without large-scale festival infrastructure or crossover appeal. Their relatively quiet public profile and absence from mainstream press further reinforces their identity as a studio-focused project engaged in long-form sonic continuity.

Unlike recent releases by Finnish peers such as …And Oceans (‘The Regeneration Itinerary’) or Hexvessel (‘Nocturne’), both of which incorporate multi-genre elements and conceptual elaboration, Slow Fall maintains a minimalistic and emotionally direct presentation. There is no visual mythology, elaborate conceptual framework, or promotional excess surrounding ‘Blood Eclipse.’ Instead, the album arrives as an extension of a clearly defined methodology: mid-tempo pacing, lyrical opacity, and tonal collapse as emotional stance.

In this sense, Slow Fall’s place within the contemporary Finnish metal field is not peripheral but parallel. They operate on a smaller scale, but with deliberate continuity, contributing to the country’s reputation for introspective and structurally refined melodic metal. Their role is less about innovation than about preservation—a steady reinforcement of a particular emotional register within a broader, more eclectic national scene.

Conclusion

With ‘Blood Eclipse,’ Slow Fall advances a carefully controlled evolution rather than a departure. The album’s measured expansion in sonic texture, production clarity, and emotional gravity reflects a band refining an already established methodology. In an era where genre hybrids and visual overproduction dominate large segments of the metal spectrum, Slow Fall’s decision to maintain a restrained aesthetic and structurally disciplined compositional style sets them apart through consistency rather than scale.

Across its three studio albums—‘Beneath the Endless Rains’ (2020), ‘Obsidian Waves’ (2023), and now ‘Blood Eclipse’ (2025)—the band has built a catalog centered on melancholic melody and introspective pacing. ‘Blood Eclipse’ is arguably their most technically developed record, yet it remains firmly aligned with the stylistic and emotional register they have favored since their debut. The integration of tracks such as ‘The Outpost’ and ‘Mercury Moon’ into their live performances further supports the continuity of vision that informs both studio and stage activity.

Slow Fall’s trajectory suggests a model of artistic sustainability built not on novelty but on precision and restraint. While their international profile remains modest, their role within the melodic death metal field is increasingly defined by deliberate contribution and tonal coherence. ‘Blood Eclipse’ continues this direction, sustaining a body of work that gains meaning through structural discipline and enduring focus.